ASIAIR v1.9 has been released

PMTeam@ZWO

[v1.9-9.53]

New Features

Added SkyAtlas

Added EFW filter name customization

Optimization

Added MM/MC mark to ASI camera in Customize File Name
Optimized blackedge of stack in Live Mode
Optimized UI
Fixed the problem that few ASIAIR Plus can't boot when connected to USB devices
Fixed eMMC save and display issues
Fixed known bugs

Thanks to all ZWOers who helped test and feedback in the beta releases.

WalterT

Thanks for the custom filter names. Have you guys made a decision on filter focus offsets?

TheChief

Its broken. I cannot get my tablet or a windows pc running Bluestacks to transfer the new firmware to the Air. The Beta version works just fine.

crackout

Will there be another 1.9.x beta round or is the next release going to be 2.0?

JT50

Is any documentation available for the skyatlas user interface?

chriszwo1A

Are there instructions for the Skyatlas? Thank you!

Astrophotog

Are there instructions for the Skyatlas? Thank you!

johnpd

How do you rotate the camera frame? I updated inside and played with it a bit with the camera connected, but not the mount. I could not find how to rotate the camera frame. When the Sky Atlas generates the display and camera frame, I assume it knows whether your mount is equatorial or Alt-Az?
JohnD

w7ay

johnpd How do you rotate the camera frame?

Many OTAs that are meant for astrophotography come with a way to rotate the camera angle. Takahashis call them the Camera Angle Adjuster, CAA. LIkewise, I have seen them on William Optics OTAs. Both shown here:

If your OTA is not made for astrophotography and did not come with a camera angle adjuster, you can get third party ones like these:

https://agenaastro.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Blue%20Fireball%20camera%20angle

You can also get electrically driven ones, like these (the Pyxis is adjustable using ASCOM):

https://www.optecinc.com/astronomy/catalog/pyxis/index.htm

With the ASIAIR, you can plate solve to find and adjust the camera angle.

Be aware that, depending on the east-west leveling of your tripod, you may have to fine tune the flipped angles after a meridian flip.

Chen

johnpd

w7ay
Thanks Chen. My dumb. You have to physically rotate the camera and that will be reflected in the display. I can do that. I have to loosen the connection to the focal reducer and then turn it. Will try this evening. The only issue I would have with that is it would probably affect the focus and I would have to double check that.
It would be nice if ZWO would come out with a little documentation for all these new changes.

JohnD

Sudath

Great new feature sets! I am running the current beta version. I have an issue with tracking with my HEQ6-R pro mount. My starts have trails even with 0.5S exposure. After lots of testing, it looks like not in the Sidereal tracking mode, even though it says it is. Cycling through the tracking mod I got is to work properly once but it did not last. Last night my mount got tested with another system (Nino) and there were no star trails. Polar alignment, back focus and collimation and focus have no issues. What could be the issue?

GregEngland

With regard to the new Sky Atlas feature, when I updated my ASI AIR app on my old iPAD (1Gb RAM) it is saying there is not enough RAM when trying to use Sky Atlas. Are you able to confirm if I upgrade my iPAD to the newer 9th Gen iPAD that has 3Gb RAM wether this will be sufficient or do I need to purchase the iPad Air with M1 chip and 8 Gb RAM?
Regards Greg

AstroDude42

GregEngland i have the 11“ iPad Pro from last year and can confirm it works great.

Olli

mic

AstroDude42

GregEngland
H bin i Greg l am useing the new IPad mini without any problems (125GB)
g Mike

GregEngland

Thanks for that Olli, Not sure I want to spend $1100 for the pro vs $500 for the 9th Gen iPAD if it works ok.
Will wait to see if anyone else has used a 9th Gen iPAD or ZWO can confirm if the 3Gb of Ram is sufficient.
Regards Greg

AstroDude42

GregEngland Sorry Greg, unfortunately i confused the iPad Pro with the iPad here. I am sorry i can not tell anything about the iPad and if it works.

Olli

Anth

hello, happy to have the zwo system (asiair pro), but since version 1.8, with my ASI6200MC, impossible to display in preview. I also tested with the latest version. with aps-c mode, or in bin 2.. it works. but not in full frame. I have already reported this problem to you. why with version 1.7, it works and not after. thank you for your comeback

w7ay

Anth ASI6200MC, impossible to display in preview.

My guess is that ZWO could have changed how the image is downloaded.

In the past, I have seen terrible Moiré patterns when an image (from a Bayer color camera) in the Preview screen is pinched at certain magnifications (i.e., you see cross-hatched patterns on the screen that comes and goes depending on the magnification). [Check Google for "Moiré" if you are not familiar with the term, or how it is caused.]

That was an indication that the image was scaled to too small a size at the Raspberry Pi before it was sent to the tablet. The under sampling thus causes Moiré.

It is possible that ZWO has corrected that bug, and is now sending a larger image from the Raspberry Pi , so that when it is rescaled to fit the Preview screen, Moiré does not occur. ZWO never document changes, so we will never know.

If that is what they did, then the problem could be insufficient RAM on the tablet to hold the larger image before it is scaled down to the Preview window.

I don't have any tablets with small memory (I always max out on RAM when I buy my tablets), so I cannot test it out.

You can try to set the Preview screen to use Bin 2 to see if it helps.

Be sure to set the Binning to 1 in the AutoRun setup to make sure it does not default to the Bin 2 from the Preview window.

Chen

johnpd

I got a chance to work with the new release last night and have some comments and questions.

I am a little confused as to the purpose of the red and blue camera frames. As the object moves it remains in the blue frame and eventually will move off the Star Atlas screen, while the red frame remains in its original position. If I go back to the Preview screen and then come back to the Star Atlas, they sync up again. There is a "Sync" option but I don't think that was working.
I tried rotating my camera, but the rotation number did not change. Is there something else I need to do. I followed one object (M81) for a while and the rotation number changed (slowly decreased) on its own so I am not sure what exactly that number represents. My mount was set up in Alt-Az mode.
When I tried to center on a spot between M81 and M82 so I could get both in the FOV, using either the GoCross or Center options, nothing happened.
Don't go to the Sky Atlas in the middle of a Live Stack. You cannot get out of it.

Otherwise it is very useful

chaosnix68

The Sky Atlas is awesome, only issue is when you move the telescope from the first object you shot in the Sky Atlas, for example, M42, and move to M51, when you go back to the Sky Atlas it thinks your still at M42, this happens even when you slew to for example M81, you shoot M81 then go back to the Sky Atlas, it takes you back to M42, instead of M81... Love this feature can't wait to see MPO objects in it!!!